Sept. 14, 2017 - This critically endangered Leadbeater’s possum is the 7,000th species to have its portrait taken by Joel Sartore as part of National Geographic’s Photo Ark project. Photo Ark is a multiyear effort to document every species living in wildlife sanctuaries and zoos. This particular marsupial resides at the Healesville Sanctuary in Australia. Known as “forest fairies, Leadbeater possums nest in tree hollows and roam the forest at night. Timber harvesting and forest fires have destroyed their habitat leading to dramatic population decline in the past decade.

Sept. 14, 2017 - This critically endangered Leadbeater’s possum is the 7,000th species to have its portrait taken by Joel Sartore as part of National Geographic’s Photo Ark project. Photo Ark is a multiyear effort to document every species living in wildlife sanctuaries and zoos. This particular marsupial resides at the Healesville Sanctuary in Australia. Known as “forest fairies, Leadbeater possums nest in tree hollows and roam the forest at night. Timber harvesting and forest fires have destroyed their habitat leading to dramatic population decline in the past decade.